[Michael_Michaelangelo]

Bold font added by poster.

[Michael_Michaelangelo]

Ping

[edeal]

Georgia welcomes you to the laughing stock delegation of state legislatures.

[Blood of Tyrants]

The evolution supporters will soon be here to tell everyone how stupid they are for not believing in evolution even though there are HUGE gaps in evolution theory that they simply make up. Come to think of it, almost all of evolution theory is just made up.

[Hodar]

“I think it’s very important for children to know,” Graves said. “If they just believe that they came from some slime in a swamp that’s a whole lot different from being created in the image of God.”

The big picture is not necessarily a religous one, it's an exercise in the "Scientific Method" and "Critical Thinking". The Scientific Method is to look at observable data, make hypothisis regarding the observations, remove personal bias; and simply report what you see. For children, this is a fairly inexpensive yet thought provoking and engaging example. A field trip to just about any museaum will re-inforce that what you belive, and what you see may be at odds. The next step is "Critical Thinking".

Critical Thinking is taking in the observations, and then analyzing them with regard to truths and imperatives you believe, then working to come to an understanding of why things are as they are.

These are skills we all need, and use on a daily basis in work, play and in reading the news. I see no problem with a requirement that Evolution be presented as a plausable theory, I would object to it being presented as undisputed fact. However, to present it as a complete falsehood because Dinosaurs are not mentioned in the bible is teaching children to ignore observable facts; simply because they do not integrate into their belief system.

[yellowdoghunter]

I am shocked that the Democrats let this through. I will be even more shocked if the Democrats in the Senate let it through. The Democrats who control Oklahoma's Legislature are more concerned with legalizing gambling, increasing taxes, and squashing a bill that would outlaw homosexual marriage.

[Physicist]

“I think so many of the textbooks make it appear that evolution is a scientific fact and it’s not,” said Graves, R-Oklahoma City. “Even the U.S. Supreme Court says it’s a theory, so I was just trying to make that clear.

The sequential variation of flora and fauna throughout the fossil record is the scientific FACT of evolution.

Darwinian natural selection is the THEORY of how the fact of evolution came about.

Confusingly, the fact and theory are both called "evolution".

Almost all of the people who are against the teaching of evolution object much more strongly to the fact of evolution than they do to the theory, because it's the fact that contradicts most creation myths. Because of the confusion between terms, they think that by finding flaws in the theory, they can overturn the fact. But they can't.

[Rudder]

The bill passed on a 96-0 vote and now heads to the Senate.

Amazing how ignorant Oklahomans are unaimous in their ignorance---not unlike those creationists here at FR.

[JohnnyZ]

Scientific theories should always be presented as theories rather than fact.

[Dog Gone]

No one was present when life first appeared on earth.

I thought we were told that Adam and Eve were there within a week. Well, scratch that notion. The legislature has ruled.

[gawd]

next on the list: the "controversial" theory (!!) of ... Gravity. don't let the godless communists fool you, it's just a theory! says the Supreme Court!

[gawd]

No one was present when life first appeared on earth

so, no one was alive before life started? gosh, thanks for clearing that up.

[Cinnamon Girl]

They have apehead man creature pictures and fake skulls evolving into human man heads at the Natural History Museum children's section. My daughter asked me what that was. I told her it was some nonsense some people made up who want to believe they're decended from monkeys.

[Jeff Gordon]

Another case of LWS (Legislating While Stupid)

[ZULU]

"Warning: This theory could endanger your future salavation!!!"

How absurd.

Science teachers should always instruct students that all current knowledge indicates..... when referring to Evolution or similar theories. You could say the same thing about the expanding universe.

At one time physicists believed Newton explained it all. The Einstein and quantum theory came along.

Science is a long preocess of refinement of ideas, of experimenting, of postulating, of questioning.

Its not faith. Its science.

Faith is believing that Christ is the Son of God and He will come again to judge us all. That's what I BELIEVE.
I don't question it. I accept it on blind faith.

What I KNOW, is what scientific testing appears to indicate.

[nmh]

" ... controversial theory and not fact."

They forgot this theory lacks objective evidence. To suggest it is a theory is pushing the envelope. It's really an agenda laden hypothesis.

[RaceBannon]

WOW!

Now, if we can only get people to actually believe what The Bible says, they might get saved!

[Doctor Stochastic]

The Oklahoma House passed a bill Monday that would require public school textbooks that discuss evolution to include a disclaimer stating that it is a controversial theory and not fact.

This would seem to require the statement that the Middle-Eastern Story of Creation is only a controversial theory and not a fact.

[Kleon]

“This textbook discusses evolution, a controversial theory which some scientists present as scientific explanation for the origin of living things, such as plants and humans. No one was present when life first appeared on earth. Therefore, any statement about life’s origins should be considered as theory, not fact.”

I think any disclaimer concerning evolution should say which aspects of the theory are debated and which aspects are agreed upon. And evolution is not about life's origins, but how life changes over time, so why should this disclaimer focus on this aspect?

While there remain disagreements among scientists over the specifics of long-term evolution--for instance, the two opposing models of punctuated equilibrium and gradual change--there is a general consensus among the scientific community regarding the basic components of the theory.

There is so much evidence for biological evolution, that I think we can teach it as a scientific fact. We need to teach children that it's the mechanisms of change which are hotly debated and theoretical.

That way, the students understand the scientific process and enter college understanding the major scientific debates of today, not of two centuries ago.

[MindBender26]

Does Sen. Graves have scars on his knuckles?

[sasportas]

96 - 0 vote, bravo for Oklahoma, I think I'll move there. My kind of place.